Find a starting pitcher that can become a future mid-rotation contributor
There is always the stigma that the Rockies cannot get good pitching, or even just pitching in general, and for the most part that is true. However, the Rockies have occasionally developed a solid back-end starter, and in other cases, a solid number two or three starter. With a pitching staff that is going to struggle and is already off to a tough start, finding a future mid-rotation starter might be hard, but that should be a big goal for this group in 2024.
This team will rely a lot on veterans Kyle Freeland, Cal Quantrill and Dakota Hudson, but we have seen how two of those have gone so far and it's not pretty. They have a couple of unproven arms in Ryan Feltner and Austin Gomber that will look to make a name for themselves this year, as well as a lefty that we saw in the spring and should debut later this year. Carson Palmquist looked really good in spring and despite his funky delivery, looks like he might be able to hold down a rotation spot in the future.
Last year, Feltner looked solid and like there might be some upside before an injury took away most of the rest of the year. One of the only Rockies pitchers with serious strikeout stuff, Feltner could become the best arm in this rotation relatively quickly. He's changed his repertoire and him putting it all together and becoming a solid mid-rotation arm would benefit this pitching staff a ton!
The other arm that has the potential to take some steps forward and become a legit mid-rotation arm is Austin Gomber. After posting solid strikeout numbers in 2018, 2020 and 2021, his strikeout numbers have taken a serious hit in 2022 and 2023 and finding that previous strikeout potential will be key in him becoming a mid-rotation arm. A key piece in the Nolan Arenado trade, Gomber needs to live up to his potential this year and prove he can be at least a number two or three starter.
Call to Action
Are you a fan of the Rockies? Do you love talking about all things Rockies? Do you want to write about the Rockies on your own schedule with the potential to earn some extra cash? Go to https://openings.fansided.com and look for the Rox Pile site and apply to join our staff.